The Promifed MVlefsiahlong lince tome: and be refrefhed, as Cmit. 2. 8. but alfò, Behold his I) y, or the tithe limited and-pre- fixed Unto his coming, and rejoycc therein ; and that not only as Abraham who knew that. (uch 's day-fholald be jibe 8. 56. but alto More who had .a- çertainday 'fo limited, as thát.bÿ diligent e'ngairy, t Pet. t a 1. they might take Mine efpecial profpcd of if. (a,) To guide themwhowere to live in the dayes of the- ccompafh-nent of thé Promifé, unto amore cornett expedfatioti of him, and dehre after him, as Daniel had for tite return of the People from the Captivity, when he indent oel /y.£sakr, that the time limited for it was accompli(hed, Dan. 9. 2, 3. Accordingly it came to pats for from hence it was, than at that feafon when he was to he exhibited, all men were in expefiation of him , and prepared thereby to enquire after him , Luk 3 r5. Now thisdetermination of thine enquired after, was fir& madeby faceb, Gen. 49. 8, 9, to. accompanied with a fignal demonflration of one efpecial person, from whom the Messiah was to proceed, even in the Family of Abraham him(clt; fuch another reflrifiion allo, and but one, enIted, when that privilcdge which originally retied in Abrahamand his family, and afterwards reltrained stato 'Judah and his polterity ; and la(ily, confin'd unto .David and his off- spring, was ever after left at large unto any branch of that Family. And this I mention by the way, to prevent any difficulties about his Genealogie. For as in the very firft inftan e of the Regal Suceellion in the houle Of David there was no refpeéf had to the Primogeniture, t Kings 2.22. So there was noneceHìty that the Itleffiah should fpring from the reigning Family, although he did fo ; but.only that he Ihould be of the Seed ofDavid. For as after the Promise givea unto Abraham, the /V/firi., might have fprung from any Family whateverof his po[ierity by IJaac, untill the Iimitatihn madeby jacib unto the person of udah ; and after that limitation, might have done fo from any Family of his Tribe or Polterity, until] the confienment of that- priviledge to the person of-David; fo no retirieitionor limitation being afterwards added , his produelion by any perfn of his Polterity, whether in a nearer or-further alliance, to, or from the Reigning Linvi, was all that was included in the Promife. To return, thewords of the place above quotedate, Judah thou art hewhom thy Brethren (hall.praif ; thine handfhall be in the neck of thine enemies ; Thy Fathers children fnalh boxy down before thee. Judah is a Lyons whelp' from the prey, my Sin, than art qme up, he heapeddown, he couched asa Lion, and as an old Limn who (hall roufe him up, 11t71tfl 231':+) nÿ titan ¡tarp pptt71 brier t) taw 1Ot isZ =Toy Pnp' i'71; The Scepter (hall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-giver, or Scribe, from between his feet until! Shilo come ; and to him the gathering of people; Thefe lath words are the feat of our Argument, the forníee therefore we (hall no otherwife con- fider, but as they give light and evidence to their interpretation. Thegreat Mafleee among the Jews are exceedingly perplexed with thisTellimony, and have therefore invented endless wayes fsr the enervating of it, openly and lowdly contradidting one another, almost about every word in the Text: Some would evade the fade of it, by interpreting inn), to be only a Rod, of correfiion, fay fume, of Juppertment fay others ; and pom, they would only have to be a Scribe, fuch as they fancy their pref:nt Rab/las to be. Some by ttilro, underhand the perfon ofjudah un- to whom they afcrib'e I know not what pre-eminence, and not his Family and Tribe. Some would have `w to be feparated from t1, that follows, becaufe of the accent Jstbil', and to lignite fa ever. Some by the Stile would have David intended, force Ahijab the Prophet, force the City Shilo, and moil know not what. li tp', force would have to bedeity/1E6 ), Come inlfrufrion and obedience: And on every one of there ea- vils , do they build various interpretations , and provide various evaf one for them= Elves , all which we (halt either -obviate or remove out Of the way in the coining Diftourfè. It were endiehto confider all their level-al Ex_pofitions, and zefkf; because they are fully confuted úv rote another. And what ever feems of importance , in any of their exceptions, will be fully anfwered its our Exposition and vindication of the Text and Context. Only to give the Reader a f4jeci t ell of their Sentiments, h fhall briefly con- fider the fcsfe andExposition of one of them; and he of fuch reputation that hehát) generally obtained the name of i;:lnr1, the WPif. And this is Ii. A. B.!St ir,Aben Enia. And that we may thebetter fee the perverfittfs of this man, and therein of his fol- lowcrs, I than briefly give an account of the Expotitiote of Iíaihi his Companion in Annotations on the Pentateuch, in their Rabhinnical Bibles. Firlt, By MT, Scepter, he underltands Rule and Government ; as he doth Scholars in the Law, by pp t eta, from there S. . 4.5.
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